Did your invitation to the Royal Wedding get lost in the mail? (I know mine certainly did!) If you’re nursing the blues from missing one of the most talked about social events of the year, I might just have something that will help cheer you up – The CAPA Gala Fashionably Late Party.

This exciting event on May 21 includes a cocktail party at the Ohio Theatre, complimentary wine and beer (cash bar for mixed drinks), desserts by Cameron Mitchell Catering, and outdoor dancing on the esplanade overlooking the Columbus Commons.

And perhaps the best part about this see-and-be-seen event…it’s affordable! Tickets are only $45.

Mark your calendars! Click here to get your tickets, or call 614-469-0939 to get your tickets. Join me in enjoying a cocktail (or two), breaking-in the dancin’ shoes, and having a fabulously good time at CAPA’s Fashionably Late Party May 21 from 9-11:30pm.

We are thrilled to announce the 2011-12 lineup for Broadway in Columbus! The coming season will bring Broadway’s hottest talent and most innovative productions to the magnificent splendor of your Ohio and Palace Theatres. The brilliance and quality of Broadway in your own backyard is truly an experience not to be missed.

That’s why I would like to personally invite you to become a Broadway subscriber. Subscribers lock in the best seats for the whole season—BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL, SHREK, BLUE MAN GROUP, WEST SIDE STORY, and MEMPHIS—with just one purchase at a discounted rate. Subscriptions are available at several different price levels, so there’s sure to be a package that’s comfortable for you. Subscribers also receive exclusive benefits throughout the year, including the opportunity to purchase tickets to season specials before they go on sale to the public. The coming season’s specials include MAMMA MIA! as well as the Columbus premiere of THE CARETAKER starring Sir Jonathon Pryce!

It’s an exciting time to be a Broadway fan in Columbus, and we look forward to experiencing the 2011-12 season with you!

Wow, lady! You look good for 83! Better than ever, I’d say. But I guess I’m kind of biased. See, I have the distinct honor to work within your walls each day, and have I ever mentioned to you how grateful I am for that?

As a fellow March baby, there are several things I think we have in common. Pisces is a mutable sign, which indicates that you’re a restless soul, always longing for movement. Boy, is that an understatement! You’re not one to settle for a night off, Ohio Theatre. I believe you’re at your best when your marquee is lit, your stage is full, and your audiences are cheering.

When your doors first opened on March 17, 1928, you were christened the Loew’s and United Artist’s Ohio Theatre (although now you go only by your surname – how very Cher of you!). Your first love was movies, and you premiered new ones every Thursday. In the 1930s-50s, that meant two films, cartoons, newsreels, and organ interludes. Eventually though, as folks flocked to the suburbs and their shiny new televisions, attendance dropped and your hallowed halls were in jeopardy of being demolished. Luckily, at the tender age of 41, a newly organized group called CAPA (or the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts) raised the money to purchase you and dutifully restore every possible authentic detail. It must have felt so wonderful to once more get the attention you deserve.

For many years prior to your renovation, you were referred to as “the shabby old dowager of State Street.” Now you are the “Official Theatre for the State of Ohio” and a vital part of downtown Columbus. Nothing pleases me more than to see your marquee lit up on a beautiful Ohio evening. As you continue to grow and shift with the times, one thing will certainly never change – we are so very fortunate to have you!

And now, Ohio Theatre, this is your life! (Or at least some very entertaining anecdotes from it…)

Regular organ use ended in 1942 when Roger Garrett, the resident organist from 1933-42, enlisted in World War II. The “Mighty Morton” theatre organ currently used during the CAPA Summer Movie Series and other special events is the very same organ that Roger Garrett used to play.

Your lower level used to house what was referred to as the “Africa Corner.” Anne Dornan, one of the first women to graduate from the Columbia School for Architecture, went on an African safari to procure just the right accoutrement for the corner which was decorated with, among other things, zebra hides and elk heads.

I alluded earlier to the fact that we’re birthday buddies, our special days falling just 4 days apart. You turn 83 this year, and I was born in the great year of 1983. I did some research and was able to find the number of patrons that have entered your doors since that great year. It’s a big number. Are you ready for it? 8,528,985 people! That’s more than 10 times the current population of Columbus! Your attendees over the past 28 years could fill Ohio Stadium more than 80 times.

Thank you, Ohio Theatre, from just one of many people that have been lucky enough to work for you over the years. We appreciate you more than you know.

We received more than 100 nominations for the first ever CAPA Summer Movie Series Fan Favorite, and now it’s time for you to cast your vote from the top five nominated films! In alphabetical order, the nominees for the CAPA Summer Movie Series Fan Favorite Film are:

“Casablanca is without a doubt one of the best films ever made, if not the greatest. I feel a chance to show it on the big screen in such a eloquent theater such as the Ohio Theater would be a grand experience.”
-John

“Casablanca is a memorable classic! Need more be said?”
-John (not the same as above)

“I would love to see this fantastic film in all its glory as those would’ve seen it when it came out. The grandeur of The Ohio Theatre rivals that of the classic film.”
-Courtney

“I read this book when I was 12 years old and loved it. I then saw the movie later. My children have not done either one and I would love for them to see this movie. I know that for them to watch this is needs to be in the venue of the Ohio Theater.”
-Grace

“To Kill a Mockingbird is such a classic film and one of Gregory Peck’s finest films. It’s such a slice of American history that it would be a perfect fit into the Summer Movie Series.”
–Traci

“The movie is larger than life, should be viewed on the big screen! Great acting [and] a story that is as appropriate today as when it was made.”
–Suzy

Now it’s up to you to decide which film makes it in as our Fan Favorite! To cast your vote, click here to access the secure form.Ed. note: Thanks for all the votes for the 2011 CAPA Summer Movie Series Fan Favorite! Voting is now closed – stay tuned for the Summer Movie Series announcement soon, where we’ll announce the movie that you, the fans, picked!
The 2011 CAPA Summer Movie Series is presented by PNC Bank.

(P.S. If you didn’t see your movie on the list, don’t worry. We’ll keep the entire list in mind when we start looking at films for the 2011 CAPA Summer Movie Series. So you might still see some of your personal favorites on the big screen this summer!)

The selection process for films for the 2011 CAPA Summer Movie Series has begun! Summer may seem a long way off, but not for us when it comes to the Summer Movie Series. It’s a long process with lots of moving parts, but the dates have been booked and now we start piecing together titles.

However, before we start, we need help from you. We are always talking to patrons, ushers, friends, and family members to find out what movies folks would like to see. This year, we’re taking that one step further. CAPA is happy to announce that for the first time in Summer Movie Series history, we will show a “Fan Favorite Film” in the 2011 series. This will be a film suggested by a Summer Movie Series fan and voted upon by other fans. Wouldn’t it be great to take your friends and family to a movie at the magnificent Ohio Theatre this summer knowing you had a part in selecting that movie?

We hope you’re as excited as we are to add our first ever “Fan Favorite Film” to the 2011 season!

Here’s how you can help select the 2011 “Fan Favorite Film:”

1) Nominate your “Fan Favorite” in the first round of nominations!* On the nomination form, be sure to let us know why you want to see the film at the Summer Movie Series this year!

2) The nomination period will close Friday, January 7, 2011Friday, January 14, 2011! From here, we’ll tabulate which films were the most popular, and put out a final vote to you – the fans – on the top five nominees. The top voted upon film will be 2011 CAPA Summer Movie Series “Fan Favorite Film!”

*Editors’ Note: The first round of nominations have closed for the 2011 Summer Movie Series Fan Favorite! Check the CAPA.com blog soon to find out which of your films made it to the final round of voting!

Last weekend, CAPA had the pleasure of hosting an enthusiastic crowd at the Ohio Theatre for its “Ghost Light” Movie Night. We’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who joined us for an evening of Halloween fun. I can assure you that those of us working the event had just as good a time as you did! Look for another “Ghost Light” Movie Night in 2011!

If you weren’t able to join us this year, photographer Ben Simon has posted a gallery of his shots from the event on his web site. Take a few minutes to browse through the collection, and see some of the fantastic costumes that our patrons (and staff!) put together. Just follow this link and log in using the password “ghostlight” — you won’t be disappointed!

Our guest blogger this week is Mindy Hayward. Mindy is the Marketing Manager for BalletMet, and has been working with CAPA & Broadway Across America as a Marketing Consultant for WICKED. Mindy has worked on both engagements of WICKED in Columbus, which makes her an expert on the topic of all things revolving around the show.

The Ohio Theatre is a flurry of excitement as the Broadway blockbuster WICKED prepares to open a 5-week engagement starting on Wednesday. Load-in (when the stage crew starts to install sets, lights, etc.) began Monday, so I had to sneak down to the theatre and take a peek. To say the room was “electric” doesn’t begin to describe the atmosphere.

In the back of the theatre, electricians were running cables for WICKED’s extensive light control board. Dozens of stagehands were preparing the well-known Time Dragon proscenium to be hung above the historic Ohio Theatre stage. Even a casual observer would know this show is something special.

Others have been working behind the scenes for months. Immediately after WICKED closed in Columbus in 2007, booking teams in New York and Columbus began working on return dates for the production. For the past few months, marketing and public relations teams have been helping to spread the word about WICKED, and ticketing teams have been hard at work filling group and individual ticket requests so that every WICKED fan has an opportunity to see this amazing show.

“The untold story of the Wizard of Oz” played to 66,000 people when it first visited Columbus in 2007. If you weren’t able to see it then, you definitely won’t want to miss it this time. Find out what happened before Dorothy dropped in on Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. Tickets are still available! Join us at the Ohio Theatre this summer as the Land of Oz comes to life as you’ve never seen it before.

Ever wonder what it would be like to be backstage at WICKED? Well, now’s your chance! Get an exclusive, sneak peak behind the curtain of WICKED this Sunday, July 25, at 2 pm when WSYX ABC 6 airs a 30-minute special on Broadway’s biggest blockbuster. The special presentation reveals never-before-seen backstage footage, as well as actor interviews and a detailed look on how the Broadway spectacular came to be. WICKED’s creative team, including Academy and Grammy Award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, explains how the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire was brought to the Broadway stage.

And remember, there’s still time to get your WICKED tickets! It opens at the Ohio Theatre on Wednesday, July 28, and runs through Sunday, August 29. Tickets start at $37.50 and can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com/wicked. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. The Ohio Theatre Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday from 9 am – 5 pm and Saturday from 10 am – 2 pm.

Good seats are still available. For best available seating, please try weeknight and Sunday evening performances, as well as the special Thursday matinee on July 29.

If you take into account all of the theatres that CAPA operates and maintains here in Columbus, you’d be looking at about 375 years of history. Doesn’t that seem like something that’s worth four hours of your time?

The reason that I bring this up is that on Saturday, July 24, CAPA will be hosting it second annual “Theatre Crawl.” The Crawl is a unique opportunity to explore three of our community’s historic venues in one morning. While CAPA does offer tours of our theatres on a regular basis, the opportunity to visit more than one at one time is pretty rare–in fact, it only happens once a year!

Focusing on the three theatres owned by CAPA–the Ohio (1928), the Palace (1926), and the Southern (1896)–tour groups will be able to hear about the history of each building, spend some quality time exploring the venues, and will even get an extra look at areas not typically included on regular tours. As part of the Crawl, our guests will also get to hear the Ohio Theatre’s principal organist, Clark Wilson, demonstate the “Mighty Morton” Theatre Organ and discuss what makes this unique instrument one of the finest theatre organs still in operation today.

The only downside to this unique event is that space is limited–to be able to work all this activity into one day, we can only accommodate about 100 people. So if spending time getting to know some Columbus landmarks sounds like a good idea to you, act quickly! Tickets are available through the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office and are $15 for the general public and $10 for CAPA donors. Lunch is included as part of the activities. More information about the Theatre Crawl can be found here.

It’s CAPA’s job to maintain these magnificent buildings so that they can be enjoyed by both artists and audiences alike. We hope that you’ll consider joining us in remembering why our community is so lucky to have all this history, all the memories of performances past, here among us.

Everywhere we look, we’re bombarded by mobile applications. There’s an app to listen to music, find restaurants, connect to our networks, play board games…the list goes on and on. This is something that we have paid attention to – after all, the more advanced mobile devices get, the more we expect from them. In that spirit, CAPA has developed its first mobile application for iPhone and Android-based phone users—the 2010 Summer Movie Series app, presented by PNC.

From this app, you can check out what movies are coming to the Ohio Theatre, call the CAPA ticket office to purchase movie ticket strips, and get directions to the Ohio Theatre. You can also connect to us on Facebook and Twitter from your mobile device (if you haven’t already done so).

The CAPA Summer Movie Series mobile app is a step towards the continued fusion of arts and technology. It allows us to better serve our audiences (you) by providing information and convenience no matter where you are.

Take some time to check out the new CAPA Summer Movie Series mobile app by visiting http://www.capasummermovies.com/ with your iPhone or Android-based phone. Add it to your home screen so you can have it with you no matter where you go!

CAPA has received arts employment support from the Ohio Arts Council made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts through funds allocated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.